Systems and/or methods for selling non-inventory items at point-of-sale (POS) locations

• US 9,633,347 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Original Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Inventors: Prellwitz, Jeremy, Unger, Elaine
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilder, Hunter
• Application Number:
  US14/315,652
• Publication Number:
  US 20140310116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 705 261, 705 2681, 705330, 705340
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0635 Processing of requisition or of purchase orders

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments relate to techniques for order processing. A data feed including unique identifiers of purchased products, together with pairs of order numbers and product identifiers for products ordered from, but not delivered by, a store, is received at an electronic registration system. For each entry therein, a corresponding record in an ER database is created, and a message is transmitted to a supplier of an ordered product indicating that payment has been received for that product when it is determined that the entry is a corresponding order number/product identifier pair. This determination may be based on different masks used in creating a part of the unique identifier, and the order number, respectively. An indication that a product has been or is being shipped, along with a serial number for that product, is received from the supplier, and the ER database is updated as appropriate.

Claims

1. An order processing system, comprising:

a computer-based kiosk provided to a point-of-sale (POS) location, the kiosk being configured to (a) enable consumers to order, but not purchase, products that are not stocked by the POS location, (b) generate order numbers for ordered products, the order numbers being formatted in accordance with a first mask, and (c) generate, for a consumer who has ordered at least one product, an article including an order number and a product identifier pair for each said product being ordered;

a computerized POS checkout system provided to the POS location; and

an electronic registration (ER) system including at least one processor and an ER database, the ER system being configured to receive from the POS checkout system a data feed including unique identifiers of purchased products and create corresponding entries in the ER database, at least a portion of the unique identifiers being formatted in accordance with a second mask, the second mask being different from the first mask,

wherein the PUS checkout system is configured to;

process the generated article in order to complete a sale of each product ordered through the kiosk and associated with the generated article, and

treat the order number and the product identifier pair of each said product associated with the generated article as if they together were a unique identifier of the corresponding ordered product and include this information in the data feed, and

wherein the ER system is further configured to;

analyze the data feed in order to separate out order number and product identifier pairs, from unique identifiers, and

send a first message indicating that payment has been received to a supplier of each product being ordered in a case that a corresponding order number and identifier pair is detected in the data feed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each said unique identifier includes a serial number and a UPC of the associated purchased product.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the portion of the unique identifiers that is masked is the portion that corresponds to the serial number of the associated purchased product.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein product identifiers included with the articles are UPCs of the ordered products.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the articles generatable by the kiosk are printed receipts.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the printed receipts include barcodes of order numbers and product identifiers associated therewith.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a supplier-side computer system is configured to receive first messages confirming that payment has been received for ordered products and, in response thereto, to prompt delivery of ordered and confirmed products.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the supplier-side computer system is further configured to send second messages to the ER system when ordered and confirmed products are being and/or have been delivered, the second messages in associated order numbers and actual serial numbers for the products that are being and/or have been delivered, and wherein the ER system is configured to receive the second messages and associate, in the ER database, the actual serial numbers from the second messages with the order numbers from the first messages.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein ordered and confirmed products are to be delivered to locations specified at the kiosk, bypassing the POS location.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the kiosk is further configured to generate different order numbers for different suppliers.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the supplier is a manufacturer, and the POS location is a retailer store.